The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-09-02
Or . morains lark L : vul.urs, or day =

4
converting power Of religion should rise,
20 Tar from being ashamed, they would
spring to their feet with moro alacrity than
mingling with their exhilaration, - they
Icried:
We are witnesses.
And IL they tried to sing the old Gospel
hymn, they would break down with emo
tion by the time they got to the second
line:
Ashamed Of Jesus, that dear friend.
On whom my hopes Of Heaven dependf
No! When blush, be this my shame,
That no more revere His name.
Again, remark that 1--WE are witnesses"
! Of the Gospels power to comfort.
When man has trouble the world comes
in and says:
"Now get your mind OF this. Go out
and breathe the fresh air. Plunge deeper
| into business"
What poor advice. Get your mind of Of
| it, when every thing is upturned with the
bereavement, and every thing reminds
| you of what you have lost. Get your mind
of Of it. They might as well advise you
to stop thinking. You can not stop think
ing, and You can not stop thinking in that
direction. Take walk in the fresh air.
Why, along that very street, or that very
road, she once accompanied you. Out of
| that grass plot she once plucked flowers,
| or into that show window she looked i,
fascinated, saying:
"Corne, see the pictures"
Go deeper into business! Why, she was
associated with all your business ambition,
| and since she has gone you have no ambi-
ton left.
Oh, this is clumsy world when it tries
to comfort broken heart! I can build a
Corliss engine, l can paint a Raphael's
"MadOnna," 1 can play a Beethoven's
''Symphony" as easily as this world can
comfort q broken heart. And yet you
have been comforted. How was it done?
Did Christ come to you and say:
"Get your mind off this; go out and
breathe the fresh dir; plunge deeper into
| business:"
No. There was a minute when he came
to yo1-perhaps in the watches of the
night, perhaps in your place of business,
perhaps along the street-and he breathed
something into your soul that gave peace,
rest, infinite quiet, 50 that you could take
out the photograph of the departed one and
look into the eyes and the face of the dear
one, and say:
at is all right: she is better off; would
not call her back. Lord, thank thee that
thou hast comforted my poor heart"
There are Christian parents here who are
willing to testify to the power of this
Gospel to comfort. Your son had just
graduated from school or college, and was
going into business, and the Lord took
him. Or your daughter had just gradu-
ated from the young ladies' seminary, and
you thought she was going to be useful
woman and of long life; but the Lord took
her, and you were tempted to say:
"All this culture of twenty years for
nothingw
Or the little child came home from school
with the hot fever that stopped not for tho
agonized prayer or for the skillful physi-
clan, and the little child was taken. Or
the babe was lifted out Of your arms by
some quick epidemic, and you stood won
dering why God ever gave you that child
at all, if SO soon He was to take il away.
And vet yOu are not repining, you are not
fretful, you are not fighting against God.
What has enabled you to stand all the
trial?
"Oh," you say, 81 took the medicine that
God gave my sick soul. In my distress l
threw myself at the feet of a sympathiz-
ing God; and when l was too weak to
pray, Or to look up, he breathed into me a
peace that think must be the foretaste of
that Heaven where there is neither tear,
nor a farewell, nor grave"
Come, all We who have been out to this
grave to weep there-come, all We comfort
ed souls, get up off your knees. Is there
no power in this Gospel to soothe the heart?
Is there no power in this religion to quiet
the worst paroxysm of grief! There comes
up an answer from comforted widowhcod,
and orphanage, and childlessness, saying:
"Aye, aye, we are witnesses"
Again, remark that we are witnesses
OF the fact that religion has power to give
composure in the last moment. / shall
never forget the first timo l confronted
death. We went across the corn fields in
the country. l was led by my fathers
hand, and we came to the farm house
where the bereavement had come, and we
saw the crowd of wagons and carriages;
but there was one carriage that especially
attracted by boyish atten ton, and It had
black plumes. / said:
"What's that? what's that! Why those
black tasseis at the top:"
After it was explained to me, I was
lifted up to look upon the bright CO of an
aged Christian woman, who three days
before had departed in triumph. The
whole scene made an impression never
forgot.
In our sermons and in our lay exhorta-
tions we are very apt, when we want to
bring illustrations Of dying triumph, to go
back to some distinguished parsonage
to John Knox or Harriet Newell. But
want you for witnesses.
Iwant to know il you have ever seen
anything to mako you believe that the re-
ligion Of Christ can give composure in the
final hour. Now, in the courts, attorney,
jury and judge will never admit mere
hearsay. They demand that the witness
must have seen with his own eyes or heard
with his own ears. and so am critical in
my examination Of you now; and want
to know whether you have seen or heard
anything that makes you believe that the
religion Of Christ gives composure in the
fual hour.
ooh, yes" you say, 81 saw my father
and mother depart. There was o great
difference in their death beds. Standing
by the one We felt more veneration. By
the other there was more tenderness"
Before the OF you bowed perhaps in awe,
In the other case you felt as il you would
like to 60 along with her. How did they
feel in that last hour: How did they
seem to acts Were they very much
frightened! Did they take hold Of this
world with both hands, as though they
did not want to give it up:
"Oh, no." you say; ''no, remember as
though it were yesterday; she had kind
word for US all, and there were few
mementoes distributed among the chill
dren, and then she told w how kind We
must be to our father in his loneliness,
and then she kissed us good-by and weIt
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